Design*Sponge founder and bestselling author Grace Bonney presents her new book In the Company of Women: Inspiration and Advice from over 100 Makers, Artists, and Entrepreneurs. Featuring a panel discussion with Bonney and a fabulous lineup of artists, entrepreneurs and independent businesswomen.

Presented by The Book Cellar

*About In The Company of Women*

The widely anticipated second book from Grace Bonney, bestselling author of Design*Sponge at Home, profiles in words and pictures 100 influential women who have forged their own paths in business and work, bridging the worlds of lifestyle and business like never before.

Across the globe, women are embracing the entrepreneurial spirit and starting creative businesses. In the Company of Women profiles over 100 of these influential and creative women from all ages, races, backgrounds, and industries. Chock-full of practical, inspirational advice for those looking to forge their own paths, these interviews detail the keys to success (for example, going with your gut; maintaining meaningful and lasting relationships), highlight the importance of everyday rituals (meditating; creating a daily to-do list), and dispense advice for the next generation of women entrepreneurs and makers (stay true to what you believe in; have patience). The book is rounded out with hundreds of lush, original photographs of the women in their work spaces.

*About The Speakers*

Grace Bonney is the founder of Design*Sponge, a daily website dedicated to the creative community. Design*Sponge was founded in 2004 and currently reaches nearly 2 million readers per day. She has worked as a contributing editor at publications such as House & Garden, Domino, and Craft magazine. Grace is passionate about supporting all members of the creative community; she runs an annual scholarship for up-and-coming designers, writes a free business column for creatives, and is the host of a weekly radio show, After the Jump. After 12 years in Brooklyn, Grace now lives in the Hudson Valley with her wife, Julia, and their three pets. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat @designsponge.

Jocelyn Delk Adams is the author of the award winning and Amazon best selling cookbook Grandbaby Cakes and the founder of Grandbaby Cakes, a food blog which gives her family’s, particularly her grandmother’s, cherished generational recipes her modern spin while preserving the most important ingredient- tradition. Grandbaby Cakes has been featured on the TODAY Show, The Rachael Ray Show, Food Network’s The Kitchen, The Cooking Channel, ABC World News Now and many, many more.

Dawn Hancock is a designer by trade and a do-gooder by choice. Two things she likes: ideas and people. She started Firebelly in 1999 with a simple mission: Good Design for Good Reason™. Since then, she’s been diligent about hiring passionate people, seeking out fearless allies and taking on projects with the potential to change the world (or at least the local community). Over the years, she’s founded a community-based nonprofit, a socially conscious start-up incubator and a 10-day design bootcamp, all operating out of Firebelly’s Humboldt Park studio. Along with her friends at Public Media Institute, she co-founded Typeforce, an annual show and celebration for Chicago’s art and design community. She also created the Grant for Good, started in 2003 to provide a full year of free design to a deserving nonprofit. Dawn holds a BFA in Visual Communication from Northern Illinois University.

Patrice Perkins is the principal attorney and founder of Creative Genius Law. She works with creative entrepreneurs, innovators and change agents to solve today’s legal matters like protecting brands, drafting partnership agreements and hiring first employees. She also collaborates with clients to move their business from side gig to full-time and build a thriving business with long term success.

Lauren Ash is the Founder and Creative Director of Black Girl In Om, a lifestyle brand focused on cultivating holistic wellness, inner beauty, and self empowerment for women of color. She is also a certified yoga instructor, wellness curator, and creative writer. She is passionate about building authentic and meaningful community amongst women of color, people of color more broadly, and creatives and inspiring all people to live by their intentions and chase after their curiosities with enthusiasm, faith, and vision.

Susie Daly is the Co-Founder and Director of the Renegade Craft Fair. She is a sort of accidental entrepreneur, having started RCF just for fun over a decade ago now. She loved doing it so much, she decided to dedicate her life to it, and hasn’t looked back ever since.

As the owner and curator behind Chicago’s Three Peas Lounge, Maya-Camille Broussard made viewing and collecting art less intimidating by creating an unpretentious atmosphere for young professionals to congregate. Upon closing the gallery, Broussard formed Justice of the Pies in memory of her late-father, Stephen J. Broussard. Steve was a well-known criminal defense attorney with a deeply felt love for anything made with a crust. Justice of the Pies was created to honor his belief in second chances and to celebrate his love of pies. Justice of the Pies will be in Whole Foods Markets and in the cafes on the campus of University of Chicago in the Fall of 2016. As a creative entrepreneur, Maya-Camille believes that the ethos behind any endeavor should be purposeful and impactful. She recently shared her thoughts on how to discover the purpose behind one’s calling when she was invited to speak at TEDx. Broussard has also recently been featured in Edible Chicago and Design*Sponge discussing culinary and creative entrepreneurship. Maya-Camille has been featured by national and local publications and television shows, including NBC’s LXTV, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Journal, Chicago Magazine, Chicago Social, N’Digo, Today’s Chicago Woman, and WGN’s People to People. A Chicago native, Broussard is a graduate of Howard University (B.F.A.) and Northwestern University (M.A.).

Tickets are $12 1 Ticket + copy of In The Company of Women is $47

Early bird ticket buyers will also receive a LIMITED EDITION TOTE BAG, while supplies last!